Label: Ropeadope Records, 2023

Personnel - Caroline Davis: alto saxophone, synth, voice; Chris Tordini: bass; Tyshawn Sorey: drums + Val Jeanty: turntables, samples; Qasim Naqvi: modular synthesizer (#7,8); Ben Hoffmann: Prophet 6 (#10).

Saxophonist and composer Caroline Davis returns with her electro-acoustic trio Alula, featuring new faces - Chris Tordini on bass and Tyshawn Sorey on drums in place of keyboardist Matt Mitchell and drummer Greg Saunier. The trio is augmented with special guests for Davis’ first social justice album, where she delves into the topics of incarceration, the prison industrial complex, and abolition.

Inspired by activists and authors such as Maya Angelou, Angela Davis, Jennifer Teege, and Rabindranath Tagore, and incorporating relevant samples into most of the musical stories, Davis showcases compositional and experimental abilities that shine throughout the album. Fueled by a fast-pulsing vitality that comes from rock and techno music, “Burned Believers” was written in honor of accused heretics Agnes Franco and Huguette de la Cote, both burned alive in the 14th century. It’s a propulsive venture with expedite saxophone deliveries, impeccable drumming by Sorey, turntable scratching by Val Jeanty, and samples from speeches by Lorraine Hansberry and Astrid Delais.

“And Yet it Moves”, composed for Galileo, takes a more complex rhythmic approach and gains its zippy feel from Sorey’s stirring drumming. Davis’ authoritative saxophone statement are packed with purposeful motifs and high-pitched notes that reflect her sentiments about the sentencing of a truth seeker to life prison. "A Way Back to Myself" meanders along spacious balladic avenues with lullaby-like melodies, demonstrating compassion for Keith LaMar, a death row prisoner in the state of Ohio.

Written for Jalil Muntaqim, a political activist and former member of the Black Panther Party who spent almost 50 years in prison before his release, “Synchronize My Body Where My Mind Had Always Been” has the saxophone and bass standing shoulder to shoulder while various elements of the drum kit are brushed with sophistication. This story has continuation with “Terrestrial Rebels”, giving it a somewhat jarring electronics-infused conclusion.

Before the anthemic notes of the final track, “Put it on a Poster”, whose mix of ennui and hope provides a fascinating contrast, comes “I Won’t Be Back, Mrs. Susan Burton”, the standout track on the album. It’s a forceful improvised romp ingrained with a lot of energy, power, and determination. Davis composed it for Susan Burton, a South L.A. native who founded the nonprofit organization, A New Way of Life, to help formerly incarcerated women.

Strong sounds, a strong message, a strong fight back - Alula delivers a compelling musical and social justice statement.